lesson 41

STUDYING GOD’S WORD

Introduction

Slide #1

Slide #2

Slide #3

Write on the board, “How was the promise to Abraham passed on after Isaac?”

Our last lesson left us in the middle of Genesis with Isaac and Rebekah marrying, bringing hope of the continuation of the promise God made to Abraham.

Who can remind us what was unique about Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage?Abraham had sent his servant Eliezer back to Haran to find a bride for Isaac from his family (not wanting Isaac to marry a pagan wife). God’s providence brought Rebekah to the well at the moment Eliezer arrived. She willingly received the offer to marry Isaac, and Eliezer’s prayer was answered.

While this type of an arranged marriage seems odd to our Western tastes, Rebekah seems to have recognized God’s call, responding in a submissive manner to the request. When she returned with Eliezer, Isaac received her as his wife, and the two were now the couple through whom God’s promise of the Seed who would bless all nations would come. Isaac was 40 when they were married, but they would have to wait for God’s promise to be fulfilled.

Today, we are going to look at one chapter in Genesis, drawing three major ideas from it. In this chapter, we learn of the death of Abraham at age 175 (Genesis 25:7) and the three lineages that come from him. You will look at those details in the text and then at the continuation of God’s plan to bring the Seed.

Princes of Abraham Activity

Hand out the Princes of Abraham worksheet to the students.You are going to start today by looking at how God fulfilled his promise to Abraham (when he was still called Abram) to give him descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5). You will remember that Sarah had given her maidservant Hagar to Abraham to speed up the coming of the promised son. After that, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah. After Sarah’s death (Genesis 23), Abraham had children with Keturah, his concubine. Your job right now is to develop a rough outline of the descendants of Abraham through these three lines. On the handout, you will find a place to sketch out the family tree. As a heads up, Abraham had 20 grandsons, so plan your diagram accordingly.Direct the students to complete the activity.

Connect to the Truth

Slide #4

We typically forget that Isaac wasn’t Abraham’s only son. Abraham’s other lineages will come into play later in history. These are the tribes that would inhabit the Arabian Peninsula. In some sense, the conflict between Ishmael and the other princes of Abraham continued far into the future.Show the students the family tree diagram, pointing out the names mentioned below.

Do you recognize any names in this list as the names of future societies?Students will likely recognize at least Sheba and Midian and possibly Kedar. We will see the Midianites in the account of Joseph being sold into slavery. What do you notice about the number of sons descended from Ishmael compared to Genesis 17:20?God promised 12 princes from Ishmael, so here we have a confirmation of God being faithful to his promises. What is confirmed in these passages about the significance of Isaac and his inheritance?The other sons were sent away, and Isaac was given Abraham’s possessions in Canaan. Isaac was the son of promise and received the fullest part of Abraham’s inheritance.

Twins Are Born

Let’s start reading Genesis 25 from verses 7–11 for some background to today’s lesson.

Genesis 25:7–11

Slide #5

Slide #6

Read Genesis 25:7–11 to the students.Both Abraham and Sarah were buried in the same tomb, Abraham living to be 175. And the passage ending in verse 18 tells us that Ishmael died at the age of 137. His descendants lived in the western and northern parts of Arabia, Havilah, and Shur (Genesis 25:18). Verse 11 tells us that Isaac dwelt in Beer-lahai-roi.

Does this name sound familiar to anyone?Students may recall that this is the name Hagar gave to the well where God spoke to her after she fled from Sarai’s harsh treatment (16:7–14). The name means “the well (beer) of the Living One who sees me.” It is interesting that Isaac winds up living in the place where Hagar fled after Isaac’s birth.

Genesis 25:19–28

Slide #7

Slide #8

Slide #9

Slide #10

Let’s read Genesis 25:19–28 together and try to understand how God’s promise to Abraham would be passed along from Isaac.Have someone read the passage aloud.

What do we learn about Rebekah’s condition in this passage?She was barren (a euphemism for not being able to have children). How did Isaac respond to her barrenness?He asked the Lord to give his wife a child. How old was Isaac when he married Rebekah?40 (v. 20). How old was Isaac when his sons were born?60 (v. 26). What does this tell us about how long God waited to answer Isaac’s prayer?Isaac and Rebekah waited 20 years for God to grant their request. What prompted Rebekah’s question in verse 22?The babies inside of her were struggling with one another. She seemed to wonder whether her pregnancy was normal in light of the turmoil in her womb. What literary form is used in verse 23?This is a poetic form with a parallel structure where line one relates to line two and line three relates to line four. Most Bibles will set the text in a different typeface. What did she do to get an answer to her question?She went to ask God—she prayed. Some commentators suggest she sought out a prophet, but that is not indicated in the text. Who spoke to Rebekah?The Lord. What did God reveal to her about the number of children she was carrying?Though it is not directly stated, she was bearing twins. What things would be true about these twins?1) They would grow into two nations/peoples, 2) they would be divided from one another, 3) one would be stronger than the other, 4) the older would serve the younger. What was the name of the first son born?Esau. How is Esau described?He was red and covered with hair. What analogy is used to describe Esau?He was so hairy that it looked like he was wearing a cloak. What was the name of the second son born?Jacob. What was Jacob doing as Esau was born?It is commonly believed that Jacob was grabbing Esau’s heel as he emerged from the womb, but the text seems to indicate this happened after both had been born. It may be that the babies had been laid next to one another and Jacob reached to grab hold of Esau’s heel. To be honest, the text is a little difficult to understand in this fine point. In either case, Jacob was the “heel grabber.” What do we learn about Esau as he grew up?Esau was a skilled hunter who inhabited the fields (roamed about). What do we learn about Jacob as he grew up?Jacob was quiet and dwelt in tents (stayed close to home). How did the parents treat the two boys?Isaac favored Esau, while Rebekah favored Jacob. What does the ending of this section create in the reader’s mind?It seems to be setting up a coming conflict by mentioning the favoritism of the parents. This is a form of foreshadowing in the text. What parallels do you see between Isaac and Rebekah’s experience and that of Abraham and Sarai?Both couples knew that the Seed had been promised through them, and they both experienced a period of barrenness in waiting to become pregnant. Both Abraham and Isaac prayed to God and asked him to bring about his promise. Discuss any other parallels the students find.

Discover the Truth

As we should expect, God is faithful to his promises. Though it took 20 years of waiting, he granted conception to Rebekah, and the line of the Seed promised to Eve and Abraham was continued.

As is common in the Old Testament, the names of the two sons have specific meanings. The phrase “so they called his name” in the text indicates that each name bears a specific meaning.

Do any of you know the meanings of the names Esau and Jacob?Esau means “hairy,” and Jacob means to “supplant” or “deceive” (think of the imagery of tripping someone from behind to get ahead of them).

These names are fitting, and we will see them play out as we continue in the text.

The prophecy given to Rebekah makes it clear that the older son, Esau, would serve the younger, Jacob. The custom of the time was that the oldest son would receive the birthright—a claim to inherit the estate and majority of the father’s goods and land. Though written much later, Deuteronomy 21:17 identifies this as a double portion of the inheritance for the firstborn. Additionally, he would take the role of family patriarch at his father’s death. We saw this concept overturned when Isaac received the birthright even though Ishmael had been born first.

The Deceiver’s First Move

This concept of receiving the birthright is important as we move into the next section of the account.

Genesis 25:29–34

Slide #11

Slide #12

Would someone please read Genesis 25:29–34?Have someone read the passage aloud.

How much time passed between verses 26 and 29?We can’t say for sure, but we know that the boys have grown up. It may even be that this event happened after what is described in chapter 26, and it was placed here to provide the clear connections between the birth account and this one. How does verse 29 support what we learned about the boys earlier?Jacob was at home cooking a stew while Esau had been out in the field, apparently working to the point of exhaustion. What was Esau’s request of Jacob?To eat some of the red stew Jacob was cooking. What bargain did Jacob strike?Jacob asked for Esau’s birthright in exchange for a bowl of the stew. How did Esau respond?He was willing to make the exchange, noting that if he died of starvation, his birthright would be no good to him. What did Jacob do to confirm the transaction?He asked Esau to swear an oath, and he did. What does Esau’s response reveal about his character?It seems that Esau was willing to meet his immediate needs with little consideration for the future. What does the text reveal about Esau’s attitude toward his birthright?He despised it.

Hebrews 12:15–17

Slide #13

How does Hebrews 12:15–17 help us understand Esau’s attitude?Have someone read the passage. Esau is described as unholy (profane) for being willing to sell that vast wealth and honor of his birthright for a single meal. He despised the blessing and later regretted that he had done so. We will look at this in more detail in the next lesson.

Back to Genesis 25, what did the stew have to do with Esau’s name?The parenthetical statement indicates that Esau was also called “Edom.” The Hebrew word “Edom” is related to the word “red” (admoni). How does this connect to what we learned about Esau at his birth?He was red and hairy when he was born (25:25). It seems his birth foreshadowed this event, and the Hebrew reader would have connected these ideas based on the linguistic similarities. Ask the students if there are any footnotes or explanations of these ideas in their Bibles. Why is Edom important?The nation descended from Esau will be known as Edom through the Old Testament. For example, the Israelites wanted to pass through Edom but were denied (Numbers 20:14–18). Seir is another name associated with Edom (Genesis 36:8).

Discover the Truth

What is the connection to what we just read and the fulfillment of the prophecy given to Rebekah?As God had promised, the younger had gained a position above the older by buying the birthright. While it had not yet been completely fulfilled, we can see this was a first step toward Jacob ruling over Esau. How do we see Jacob fulfilling the name given to him as the “heel grabber”?He used Esau’s impetuous character to basically trick him into selling his birthright for nothing. Jacob used a type of deception—he took advantage of his brother’s character flaw and his physical situation to gain an advantage.

I imagine most of you know where the storyline goes from here, but we will pick it up next week when we look at chapter 27.

Application

The promise of the blessing passed from Abraham to Isaac, and now we have the next step. Jacob is prophesied to be the one who will inherit the birthright. The Messiah will not come from Esau, the older, but through the young—the deceiver—Jacob. Despite their character flaws, God used these broken vessels to bring about the plans he had made. Through Jacob the deceiver, one will come who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. While we dare not put our trust in Jacob, lest he exploit us for his own gains, we can fully trust in Jesus.

Let us make sure that we think of how we can apply these ideas as we leave and go out into the world we live in. We want to make sure that we are not merely hearing the Word, but seeking to be doers of what we read in it. Even though the passage we have looked at is a narrative, we can still find truth to apply to our own hearts.

Slide #14

Slide #15

Slide #16

Slide #17

Slide #18

We know that the things written in the Old Testament have been given to us as an example. What negative lesson can we learn from Esau? Where do you find your flesh seeking immediate fulfillment (food, sex, money, happiness, etc.)?As the Hebrews 12 passage explains, we should not despise the good things God gives us, whether physical or spiritual. Our flesh often seeks its own satisfaction in the moment. Discuss the various ways each person is weak and pray for these areas of sin together.

How does Jacob’s negative character trait instruct us?If we are seeking to manipulate others to get what we want or to bring about God’s plan (as we might see it), we are not acting in a way that is pleasing to God. How does the character of these two men compare to how Jesus acted while he was on the earth?While Jesus was on earth, he fulfilled the Father’s will with perfect integrity. He did not seek to fulfill the desires of his flesh nor manipulate and deceive to get his own way. He is our perfect example of obedience. What do we have at our disposal to help us when we are tempted to deceive others or to seek our own immediate satisfaction?By God’s grace, we as believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, empowering us to overcome temptation and yet convicting us of our sin when we fail. The Holy Spirit uses God’s holy Word to instruct and guide us, and we also have the encouragement and fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ to give us help as we battle sin. How should you respond when you fail and find yourself giving in to indulge your flesh in a sinful way or acting deceptively toward others or manipulating them?As we recognize our sin, we can remember that we have a mediator who has offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins and offers us forgiveness, so we should confess our sin and repent (1 John 1:8–9).